Hike through the woods at Glen Tui

 

 

This was a wonderful piece of wilderness bush - slightly tamed in this area for people to go and explore and some steps had been put in where it was steepest. It was quite challenging for us oldies as steep with rocks and roots, but we survived. I have to say my new medication makes a big difference to my breathing :)

We were NOT on the Blowhard Track!

The trunks and branches of the trees were covered in a sooty mould but if I remember rightly it sustains Aphids which are milked of their honey few by bees. There were dozens and dozens of hives in fields just before the picnic site.

My friends Rosie and Ed.

A tree fern in its natural setting.

A little water-tumble rather than a waterfall into a stream we had to get wet feet crossing, as the big boulders designed to be negotiated looked a step too far for us old 'uns. 

Wild forest.  It was an amazing place to explore AND I got to hear the Bell Bird. 

Like Cheddar Gorge on steroids!

 Rosie took me to a fabulous street market yesterday - I can't remember who mentioned it in comments but Good Call!!  We went to Lyttleton harbour. Lots to watch just down there on the water, but I loved the older properties there.  I have been taking some photos with my phone camera and can share them straight away, but many others are with my main camera so I will show those when back home.

Of course not many of you will be familiar with Cheddar Gorge, so you will have to Google it, but it does bear more than a passing resemblance to this beautiful area.

The street market was very vibrant and had many artisan stalls selling quality cakes, breads and baked goods and some wonderful fresh fruit and veg, cheeses, clothing, hand crafted items. A great atmosphere thanks to the buskers.

From one stall, I bought us a little treat - chocolate berry brownie on the left (mine) and gingerbread with pistachio (Rosie's).

 

The Timeball Station. Just the tower of the original Victorian buildings remains following the destruction wrought by the 2019/11 earthquakes.  This was beautifully restored and re-opened in 2019. It served the ships who used the harbour and the ball drops at 1 p.m. precisely, allowing navigators to set their chronometers and calculate longitude.

I hope you can read the details about Shackleton's and Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions which set off from this small harbour. Quail Island was used to quarantine and train the ponies and dogs used on the early days of Antarctic exploration. What a piece of history. It was also a former Leper colony and where people with infectious diseases were treated and contained.

We went inside the little cabin belonging to a carpenter John Grubb, from Fifeshire, pretty much in its original condition.  Photos mostly on camera but here is one room.

Quail Island from Cass Bay, where we sat and ate our sandwiches.

A really lovely day out, rounded by heavy rain, a great display of thunder and lightning and even hail in places.

Arrived in NZ

 Absolutely shattered now and looking forward to my head hitting the pillow in five minutes' time.  Flying in over NZ the mountains are so beautiful.

Right, nighty night all.

Packed - ish!

 Gabby and I will do a final check of my luggage this morning.  I am wearing some lovely (if aged) loose summer trousers which are so comfy, the wired bra's are in the suitcase and I have my stretchy sports bra on for comfort.  Having lost 5 lbs in weight it fits better than it did.  Hopefully I can drop below 11 stone again whilst away - nearly there.  

Ted and Minnie Mouse waiting for Rosie to return soon.

Thank you all for your kind wishes.  I have been feeling overwhelmed as when you don't sleep well it makes you so emotional, so I have had tears pricking my eyes all the time.  Couldn't even cheer myself up watching Home Alone as you had to pay for it!  Somehow even Sean Bean in the Frankenstein Chronicles didn't distract me - just depressed me!

Anyway, Gabby arrived, with wine, last night, and the edge has been wiped off my anxiety.  She is parking up and coming in to get me through the first two stages of checking in as she knows I am worried about checking in etc.  I thought the first bit of flight was 20 hours, but it's 13 from Heathrow to Singapore - long enough when 5 hrs to Jordan was a struggle to cope with.  Then a couple of hours for refuelling at Singapore airport, which is absolutely beautiful - and the girls have said set an alarm incase I fall asleep! - and then another ten hours to Christchurch.  I arrive 10 a.m. ish on Friday morning.  I will be VERY glad to arrive!  The only time in my life - having scarcely travelled at all - that I have flown solo was from Bournemouth airport to Guernsey, in the days when the B'mth airport was just a big shed - a hangover from WWII! The actual flight was about 15 minutes, so no sooner had you taken off, you were landing again.  A bit different this time.

I will try and keep blogging whilst I'm away.  So - watch this space.

A walk around Brecon

 I had a lot of driving yesterday.  First to the auction (40 mins away) to collect the unsold musket, then down to Brecon for my banking appt.  However, I had to double back to Kington to pick up the Brecon road from there as the A4112 was still shut for bridge repairs.  Grrr.  Should have checked before I left home.  I had to loop round to the A4111 and then drive past the end of the A4112 near the Orgasmic Cider Company . . .  Still, the scenery was lovely and hedgerows on the wilder bit of the journey from Builth to Kington were beautiful with the lemon yellow and gold of the Hazel bushes contrasting with the cinnamon brown of the bracken.

I had a wander round Brecon before my appt. as I was early.  This building was the Bell Inn and Camden Arms Hotel (they used to let Post Horses, back in the day.  Such a business paid something like 5 shillings (old money) a year to hire out the coach/carriage horses.  The act was passed in 1780.

The pub on the left celebrates the tradegic actress Sarah Siddons who was born here, Sarah Kemble, in 1755, when this pub was known as the Shoulder of Mutton.

Next door, the Ardent Gallery has a date plate and initials:

1589 - you may be sure that behind that Georgianised facade are the original timber bones of the building.  There was a small doorway inside, leading to the Inn next door.  For decades this was a Chemists' shop.

St Mary's Church in Brecon - memorial to the Fallen in both World Wars.  I had a wander round here after I'd done my bank appt. and renewed (and increased) my ISA investment.  Job well done.

A wonderful Poppy display.

It was lovely and warm inside, as they now have a busy cafe there and I almost sat down with tea and cake until I saw the price of a cup of tea and went to Greggs instead!

A lovely old stone coffin lid from around the 13th C.

An old ornate lead font.

It was a quick church-bothering and then I looked in a couple of charity shops and found a new wash bag for my holiday (£2) and I got Rosie a lovely book for Christmas, great illustrations and a QR link to the story being read out loud, which Tam will appreciate.  I had a hot Steak Pie in the car for my lunch and then came home across the Epynts.

The autumn colours on this bit of woodland were more subdued when I was able to stop for a photograph - on the approach they had seemed more colourful.  I thought of the families who used to farm on the Epynt - until the WWII clearances - and how this landscape would have been so familiar to them.  This is the edge of the Military holding and you can see from the fields it is regularly farmed now, with the wilder (and sourer-soiled) marshy land beyond it.

Right, this won't do.  SO many bits and pieces to sort out today.  Probably won't get a chance to check in tomorrow, so . . . until my next post, hopefully from NZ if the E-Sim card works ok . . . byesy-by!

 

A list as long as my arm

 Yesterday was somewhat full on.  All the family were here for a meal to celebrate what would have been Keith's 85th birthday.  Gabby cooked it for us, bless her.  (Venison steaks, veg and Potato Dauphinoise).

I am so lucky to have this on my doorstep.  The slope to the left belongs to me, having been part of the much bigger estate but stayed with my plot when it was divided up for sale around 1900.

 

Without the help of the girls, there is no way I could have planned this trip on my own, having so little experience of foreign travel.  Just the "what to pack" list made two pages, then there were short lists of important phone numbers, passwords, and we printed off all the necessary paperwork just in case it was needed. Any apps I might need went on my phone and Tam rearranged the layout so the important ones I would/might need were all on the same "page" at the front.   Danny was very sensible and said that the middle week travelling looked worse than it was (on paper) as basically it was just travelling from A to B and stopping at a hotel en route, with outings.  They all said just to break it down into little steps and it was going to be ok. . . . .  and breathe . . .

Little Rosie has been an absolute joy, though very subdued with Danny here (hah, like my boy cats, who Stayed Outside as he was clearly Dodgy - yet they grew up with him!!).  She will come up and ask for an 'Ug, although she did say cuddle a couple of times.  When she bought me a photo of my dad which is on the little joint stool by the fireplace, I told her it was my dad, her g. grandad.  Yesterday morning she carried it over to me again and gave it to me, looked up and said "dad" (meaning my dad).  That just amazed me.  She has such empathy and is so caring and loving.  We are so close, and she asks for me every day (hoping I will visit).  We will keep in touch via video call when I am in NZ. 

The house was very quiet when they had all gone last night.  I was absolutely shattered.  I began getting ready for bed at 8.15 as I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.  I was out like a light and slept solidly for 5 hrs before Alfie asked to go out.  Then I was Wide Awake of course!

So I have had a cup of tea and a piece of toast and will play a couple of games of Solitaire and drag myself back up to bed.  Have to drive to the auction first thing tomorrow to pick up a musket which didn't sell, and then an hour in the opposite direction to go to my bank appt. in Brecon, to reinvest my ISA.  Then back home, make my bed up fresh, strip the rest of the meat off the chicken and decide what to do with it (freeze it probably) and sort out perishables to give to Pam to use up.

Coming up for air

 I have been awake since 4.30 a.m.  Typical.  Guidelines tell you to get as much sleep as possible before long haul travel.  Pah.  That's not happening!

Gabby arrived yesterday with travelling stuff for me (small case for cabin luggage and a smart little leather shoulder bag which will be an improvement on my ageing bumbag . . .)  She and Tam got cracking and sorted out everything that needed to be sorted out for me and I can only say, without them I wouldn't be going.  I've just had a lovely video chat with my NZ friend Rosie and could honestly say "see you SOON!"

Danny is arriving later and we will have the meal to remember Keith on his birthday.  He would have been 85 today.

The new header is taken down in the Romantic Dingle :)  We took Rosie for a little walk down there yesterday and the sun came through the trees to light up that beautiful beech tree.  

Of course, with perfect timing, Alfie had a big ding-dong of a cat fight last night - there is ginger and white fur in clumps outside (hopefully not ALL his) and Pippi must know something went on as she doesn't want to go out, and was lurking, worried in the utility, so I let her back in and she's asleep on the sofa now.  I do hope he doesn't get an abscess somewhere . . .

Oh, and with equally perfect timing, the scales are not weighing properly.  They tell me I am 9 1/2 stone and whilst I really wish this were the case, I know they are lieing!  Not sure where I can get the battery so might have to buy new scales (these have done sterling service) . . .  (Straightforward - got a battery from Co-op!)